Chihiro
by swansae515
Summary: Spirits HATE humans. Why? Because we're greedy and insensitive and we've been polluting their homes and their beings. Little Chihiro was the one exception, but now, seven years later, Chihiro's memories have been banished by the Gate, a barrier constructed to seal the Spirit World away from human destruction. Is there a way to reconcile the two worlds?
1. Chihiro - Age 17

**Hello, everyone!**

**I finally had some time to think about the story, and I decided that I don't really like how I portrayed Chihiro in my previous version of the story. (Even though you guys seemed to. You're all so supportive ^^) She was kind of boring for me. I also thought maybe the old prologue was a little too meta... xD I've decided that I need to totally revamp it. I came up with this new introduction and a new take on Chihiro's character. I'm sorry to those of you who've been keeping up hoping I'd finish the story as it is now, but there will be more writing coming, and many of the themes will stay the same.**

**I'd really like to hear back from all of you - PM me or leave me a review - and if you guys like this version better. Please just treat this as a new story.**

**Thank you all for your encouragement and support, once again.**

**Love always,**

**Swansae**

* * *

Monday, April 8th

We're reading Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass in English class for the next few weeks. I've never heard of this book before, but apparently it's really famous. I flipped through my copy and there are pictures everywhere. I thought we'd beyond picture books by now. They must think we're still in elementary school.

Anyway, we started talking about the old religions in Japanese history, and we'll be discussing some of the more famous folktales. At the end of this unit I'll be writing my first research paper! Now that's much more my thing.

Chihiro

Thursday, April 11th

Lewis Carroll makes absolutely no sense. He thinks he can make up words any which way and his story goes everywhere. It makes my head hurt.

Yumi was bragging about kissing one of...

Friday, April 12th

I was wrong about Alice. I can't put it down. There's just something about falling out of reality and into wonderland that strikes a chord...

"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

did gyre and gimble in the wabe.

All mimsy were the borogoves,

and the mome raths outgrabe."

-Jabberwocky

I have no idea what any of it means but the words feel scaly and wicked in my mouth, not at all creamy like Japanese. It's all these "th"s. We're only supposed to be halfway through the first book but I've already started the second.

Chihiro

Wednesday, April 17th

While doing research for my history paper, I came across this old worn-out copy of the Kojiki in the library. I have a copy, too, but this one had a story that's missing in mine. It began with the normal origin story and then it kept going. It said that human greed caused the world to split in two, one for humans and one for the spirits. It also talks about this multi-dimensional war that the spirits are having.

That's the weirdest thing about the story. It wasn't written in the past tense, like most of the folktales I read, but more like the war is going on right at this moment.

I wrote down the bibliographic information for this story. Maybe I can use it in my paper.

Chihiro

P.S. I finished Through the Looking Glass. When she "woke up" at the end and was back in the real world, I cried. Why? Wonderland is far from ideal and it has the most frustrating laws of physics, the way you run as fast as you can and still end up within the monster's grasp in nightmares. It's a nightmarish place, that's what.

* * *

"That's her, there."

A moving picture hung in the air inside Zeniiba's cottage. A cluster of girls stood huddled in some grass. Haku stared intently at the soundless picture and only half-heard Zeniiba's comment. All of the girls were wearing the same thing - a t-shirt, a pleated skirt - and he couldn't see any of their faces. The girls were talking and giggling over something, doubtless the latest high school intrigue. Haku bore into them with his gaze, willing them to look up so he could recognize something, anything. A few of them had ponytails, and thinking of the ten year-old Chihiro, Haku focused on them.

The picture zoomed in and isolated one girl, talking and laughing and walking now, with a fashionable bob. She turned to talk to the friend walking next to her and Haku saw her face. He recognized the shape and color of her eyes and her face, slightly longer than he remembered, was familiar. But why was her face so pale, her eyelids dark, and her lips bright cherry red, like some kind of demon? Haku looked at Zeniiba in slight shock and dismay. How could the bright, confident girl he knew have turned into this? He knew that she'd stopped wearing the hair tie Zeniiba gave her years ago, when she had her first crush and her friends told her she looked better with her hair down. The hair tie went into a drawer then but had come out every once in a while, but even that stopped four years ago. She had changed so much, it was intimidating. Did the little Chihiro he knew still exist? Would she remember him?

She had to.

They watched the group of girls exit the school gate and merge with a raucous bunch of boys walking past. Immediately the attitude of the girls changed. Some became flirtatious and bold, others, shy. A few couples moved to the peripheral of the group and began to kiss ostentatiously, garnering envious looks from the others. One of the boys directed his attention toward Chihiro, walking backwards and puffing out his chest, gesturing animatedly. She bantered back, to the amusement of the group, but Haku saw that her interest was fake, her smile expertly masking her disgust. This continued until they reached one of the bigger houses in the neighborhood, where Chihiro waved and left the others to walk through the gate. The image followed.

Chihiro went straight to her room and locked the door behind her, barely acknowledging her parents' greetings and completely ignoring their calls to come down to dinner. She briefly surveyed her room, with its thick carpet and shelves of books, mostly folklore and fairy tales, posters of boy bands on the wall, and a traditional Japanese bed heaped with stuffed animals. She sat down at her desk, pushed aside the pile of jewelry she dug through that morning, and pulled out a diary from a drawer.

Her hand covered the entry she was writing, but Haku could read the entries on the opposite page. They were from the previous week. Alice in Wonderland. Haku remembered reading it when it first came out. It was all the rage in 1865. One sentence in the last entry jumped out at him.

_When she "woke up" at the end and was back in the real world, I cried._

No matter how nightmarish she thought Wonderland was, part of her believed in it, and loved it, and missed it. Maybe she wasn't gone. Maybe she was just very, very deeply hidden.

* * *

The next day, there was a new kid at the boys' school. One of the girls saw him walking in the morning, and could describe him in elaborate detail. He was tall, 6ft at least, and just the least bit gangly. He had long hair tied back in a ponytail, which was the latest trend, not in Tokyo, but in Paris. His uniform - jacket, pants, and tie - were designer quality. He had green eyes, so surely he was half European, which would explain the taste in high class fashion. He had high cheekbones and a chiseled jawline and very pale skin. All in all, he was pretty much the hottest guy she had ever seen.

The news spread like wildfire.

After school, nobody left. They stood in the schoolyard, waiting for the procession of boys to come down the street. And they were not disappointed. There, walking with the most popular boys, who normally don't acknowledge anyone but each other, was the new kid. He was just as attractive as the Yumi described, maybe more so. The boys soccer captain, Kane the very guy who had bantered with Chihiro the day before, saw the whole school of girls staring, and grinned. This was his chance.

By the time the boys reached he gate, there was not one girl left inside the schoolyard. The swarm of uniformed teenagers swamped the street, as each girl tried to get a closer look at the subject of the day's gossip. Kane snagged Chihiro and pulled her out of the throng.

"He's a senior in my class," he said casually. "He's the son of a visiting ambassador."

Chihiro had to satisfy her curiosity, even if it meant encouraging this jerk.

"Do you know his name?"

He leered at her. "I'll tell you if you give me a kiss."

Just as she was about to respond, she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. Through the noise of the crowd, she heard the stranger say quietly: "My name is Kohaku. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

She had to look up at him. He was at least half a head taller than her, and she was pretty tall for a girl. Behind her, Kane was glowering.

"Know your place, foreigner," he growled. "You don't interfere with my business."

"My name is Chihiro," she told the Kohaku. Aware that both schools were watching this little drama, she bowed in sarcastic apology and completely ignored the fuming boy behind her. "I'm sorry you have to go to school with this jerk."

Kane spun Chihiro around roughly. "What do you think you're doing?"

She slapped his hand away, eyes aflame. "Look, asshole. If you can't get a girl without bribing her, you can't get her at all," she retorted. "I talk to whom I please, and you need to learn some manners."

* * *

After dinner, Chihiro headed to the library. In light of what had happened after school, she hadn't been able to focus on her homework all afternoon. Girls and guys alike kept texting and calling her, wanting to discuss the new kid, her little outburst, and Kane's subsequent fall from glory. Chihiro knew that she was popular, but had no idea the kind of power such popularity entailed, nor the number of interruptions. She thought that maybe rereading that story in the Kojiki would calm her down. And she would not, she promised herself, bring her phone.

The folklore section was usually empty, the books, unpopular. She went straight to the shelf where anthologies were, and lo and behold, there stood Kohaku, reading the very book she had gone there to find. She wondered how he could go anywhere without trailing giggling girls. She stood there, feeling slightly awkward, waiting for him to notice her. It didn't take long.

"Hello, Chihiro," he said, closing the book and bowing to her. "I heard that you're very interested in folktales."

"Are you kidding me?" she replied, wondering who it was that had told him that. If anyone at the boys' school knew, she would lose her popularity like _that_. "I'm here to get that-" she pointed to his hand, "-for my research project." He handed it to her.

"I wonder, the last time I was in this area, someone told me a very interesting fairy tale. I wonder if you'd like to hear it?"

The last time he was here, Chihiro thought. I'm sure I would remember a face like his. Especially those eyes. But now that I think about it, they do seem kind of familiar. And what a strange offer. Could it be that he collects stories as well? I shouldn't - it would be so nerdy! But a new story, and a local one! Maybe, under the pretense of my project, no one would suspect. "Anything for my grade," she agreed. "How does the story go?"

"It begins, like all fairy tales, with 'Once upon a time.'"

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She had a mother and a father, and she loved them very much. One summer day, the little girl and her parents stumbled into the world of the spirits, and there, they smelled the most wondrous food. Her parents, hungry and more than a little bit greedy, ate the food, but the little girl felt like something was wrong, and refused to taste it. Now, this food belonged to an old witch named Yubaba who owned a bathhouse for spirits nearby. She was angry that humans had the gall to steal her food, and turned the girl's parents into pigs. The frightened little girl ran back the way they came, but found her way blocked by a great sea, a sea that had appeared with the setting of the sun. There on the shore, she met a boy. They had met before, but the girl didn't know that. You see, the boy was a river spirit who's river had been filled in. The girl once visited his river, but didn't know that the river had a spirit. The boy, in pain, had wished to learn magic to get his home back, and had become the witch's apprentice. But the witch stole his name, so he forgot and couldn't leave. The boy told her that to rescue her parents again, she had to talk to the old witch, and convince the witch to give her a job. If she succeeded, then she would be safe until she found her parents again.

The girl trusted him, and snuck into the bathhouse. With the help of a few friendly workers, she made her way to the witch's office. The witch agreed to give her a job, on one condition. She stole the girl's name like she had stolen the boy's. But the girl had written it down, and so did not forget. The girl worked very hard at the bathhouse, and was very kind, but she had one even more special trait. She was not at all greedy. Many of the workers grew to like her, and she made some good friends. She visited her parents in the pigpen, but had no way to free them.

Then one day, she looked out the window and saw a white dragon. She realized that the dragon was actually the boy who had helped her, and that he was hurt. A powerful witch named Zeniiba had put a curse deep inside of him. She realized that Zeniiba had cursed the boy because he stole a powerful magical object that belonged to her - a golden seal. She decided to take a risk and return the seal to the witch, and apologize, so that she would break the curse on the dragon boy. She journeyed to Zeniiba's swamp dwelling. There, she found out that Zeniiba was not evil, but good, and that the curse had already been broken. She loved the boy, and as in all fairy tales, love broke the curse. There, the good witch taught her about memory.

Back at the bathhouse, the boy healed. He went to Yubaba and made a bargain with her so that she would let the girl and her parents go. Yubaba agreed, as long as the girl recognized the pigs that were her parents. The boy flew to Zeniiba's swamp to tell the girl the good news. Flying back, the sensation of riding the dragon reminded the girl of the river. She told the boy about her memory, and the name of the river. The boy was free!

At the bathhouse, the girl passed Yubaba's test. At the border between the worlds, she said good bye to the dragon boy, and went back to her parents in the human world. And as soon as she went through the gate, she forgot everything that had happened.

The end.

* * *

"You call that a fairy tale? That's so...so..." Chihiro sputtered, unable to come up with the reason that the story was so off-putting. A few more nonsensical words escaped from her mouth and then she regained her composure. "That's not a fairy tale," she said firmly. "It didn't happen in the deep past, and there was no clear moral. It doesn't follow the fairy tale template. The story doesn't make any sense and there's no clear linear plot. It's just as bad as... as Alice in Wonderland."

"I'm sorry the story wasn't of more help to you," said Kohaku, unfazed. He got up from the table, bowed, and left.

Chihiro sat there, thinking. Had Kohaku made the story up on the spot? It sounded like he had no experience telling stories, so surely it was too complex for that. In fact, she had never heard such a complex fairy tale, with no clear cause and effects. A local tale about a bathhouse. As far as Chihiro knew, there were no bathhouses nearby, and never had been. Chihiro wished that Kohaku hadn't left. She wanted to ask him where he had heard the story, and how long ago, and from whom. But hearing the story had made her want to squirm away, as if from a slimy insect or an awkward topic.


	2. Prince Haku

**Why do I always manage to find time for writing when finals are coming up? x.x Maybe it's just me procrastinating. I'm pretty busy with school and planning out my summer (which hopefully includes time for writing).**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!**

**Swansae**

"Does it have to be her?"

"She's pure and well-known in the Spirit World. You know that"

"She might have been pure, Father, but you should see her now. She's shallow now. She _paints_ her _face_, just as much as any of the other girls, and she's rude. She doesn't respect her parents, and her language is offensive. Zeniiba showed me her room, and it's full of things - shoes she doesn't touch, piles of jewelry, clothes, facepaints and toys; it's a mess!"

"You've certainly had a dramatic change of mind."

"Yes! She leads her pack. She's the worst of them all. She's nothing like the child she was."

"It doesn't matter. Just the sound of her name will gather the spirits' sympathies."

"You want to manipulate the other spirits so they'll agree with us! You want to use her as nothing but a mascot. Do you understand how dangerous this would be for her?"

"Stand down, Prince Kohaku! Know your place. Your job is to bring her here, whether or not you want her here. Understand?"

"Yes, Father," Haku answered, face burning in anger and humiliation.

"And Nigihayami Kohakunushi, you are a terrible liar. Do not try to deceive me again."

"Yes, Father."

* * *

Kohaku was surrounded by girls whenever he was walking to or from school, which meant that Chihiro didn't have to face him. She knew she needed to apologize for her behavior in the library eventually, but she was thankful for an excuse not to do it in front of everyone else at school. She hadn't seen him at the library, or anywhere else, since. Kane was no longer at the center of attention. In fact, after her little outburst, he was at the peripheral of the group, practically ignored. She felt kind of sorry for him. He was a testosterone-filled and obnoxious cockerel, but he didn't deserve this.

Chihiro was surrounded, too, by boys and girls alike. She talked to them mindlessly, somehow managing to be bubbly and entertaining while in the back of her mind she thought about what she might say to Kohaku if she ever got him alone again. The longer she waited, the harder it would be. She must've really offended him, because he was making no indication that he had any interest in talking to her at all. On the other hand, she thought she could feel him staring at her sometimes when her back was turned. But when she turned back around, he was engaged in conversation, usually with one fawning girl or another. What was this guy's deal?

* * *

"What do you think of him?"

Late that night, Chihiro and Risuni sat at a low table in Risuni's small study, drinking tea and procrastinating on their homework. Chihiro couldn't look more different sitting there with her legs folded, which just a touch of eye makeup and wearing a simple kimono. Risuni Shinkono's house was very traditionally and sparsely furnished. There were tatami mats on the floor instead of chairs. Sliding shoji partitions. A small shrine one the wall with a bowl of food as an offering and a figurine of a white dragon behind an old man. The family reserved on the front living room for more contemporary visitors, and it was the only room with any chairs of sofas. The family, however, preferred their Spartan surroundings. And secretly, so did Chihiro.

"He's interesting, I suppose."

"Oh, c'mon, Chihiro. I know you think he's hot. You might only pretend to go along with the crowd but you're not immune to good looks. It's only your pride preventing you from joining in the fangirl-ing."

Chihiro laughed. "Actually, it's because I suspect he hates my guts. I met him at the library the other day, and I think I offended him horrendously."

"What happened?" asked Risuni, grinning in anticipation.

"Well, he offered to tell me a story," Chihiro said, eyes sparkling. "A local folk tale, so of course I couldn't resist. Remind me to tell it to you sometime. Anyway, it was such the strange story and I _couldn't _let him know how much of a nerd I really am that I said the first shallow and stupid thing that came to mind, and told him it couldn't possibly be a real folk tale."

Risuni shook her head in exasperation and amusement. "Oh, the double life you lead. I don't know how you can bear to live in that claustrophobic pigsty of a room of yours."

"Only because if anyone ever came over and it _didn't _look like that, I would be shunned until the end of my high school days. Thank goodness we graduate soon. I feel like Lindsey Lohan in Mean Girls, except that it feels like I've been doing it my whole life and you're much weirder than her friends," Chihiro quipped, causing Risuni to stick her tongue out at her. "They respect you, though. Amazingly."

"Only because you do," Risuni sighed. "I wouldn't have any friends if not for you."

"And I would die of claustrophobia if I didn't live at your house half the time," Chihiro answered. "Cheer up. We do what we need to to survive."

"So we use each other," Risuni teased. "That makes us best friends."

"Mutualistic."

"Symbiotic."

"The clownfish and the anemone."

"Does that make you a clown?"

"With the amount of make-up I need to wear? Definitely." They laughed.

* * *

"Why is it taking so long?"

"She doesn't trust me, and the other humans cluster around me. I haven't been able to talk to her alone, and I dare not raise suspicions."

"You better not be stalling." The dragon king swept away.

"Mother, he does not care for humans. Why is he even fighting this war?"

"Haku, you must remember he used to be feared and worshiped by the humans. They have forgotten him and pollute him as they polluted you, but he does not know them intimately like you and I do. He fights because without humans, he loses much of his power and prestige amongst the council members, as do most nature spirits, while Akuma gets stronger."

"I do not want to expose Chihiro to this war. She would be the perfect target for Akuma."

"I know, my son."

"Couldn't you say something to Father?"

"No. I dare not, and I would not. We need her, Haku, and we need her to be pure, to convince them that humans can be good. Any other human would not be given a time to prove themselves. Only Chihiro has a chance."

* * *

Chihiro was dreaming. The white dragon figurine was alive. It flew through the air in joy, and she, Chihiro, was riding it. Him. The dragon was a he. They flew through the bright sunlight and she talked to him, but she couldn't hear the words she was saying. She could only feel the joy and freedom of flight.

Then suddenly, the dream shifted. The sky grew dark. She was standing on the ground and the dragon was above her, flying and in pain. It threw itself against an invisible wall in the sky, over and over, until it shook with pain and exhaustion. Stop! Chihiro cried to the dragon, You're hurt! but she made no sound, and she watched helplessly as the dragon thrashed, its mane matted and scales shedding, and then fell through the air. The dream drew her away, the white dragon shrank into a white dot, still falling, too far away for her to help. She thought she felt a broken thud as he hit the ground, and woke up.

She rolled over and looked at her bedside table with the little dragon figurine she had made of clay in 6th grade art class. The dragon rose like smoke, whiskers and tail streaming. It was the only artistic thing she had ever done. That night, she had dreamed of the white dragon, too. In that dream, it had been swimming. She still remembered the feeling of his soft seafoam mane on her face, gripping his branching horns that felt like water-smoothed stones, and his mother-of-pearl scales.

She used to dream of this dragon all the time, and then around the time she started high school, the dreams had stopped. When she was little, she had pretended that he was real, that he was _her_ dragon. She'd even felt a little abandoned after the dreams had stopped, and then as she grew older, had felt silly for feeling that way. He wasn't real.

She rolled over in bed to look at her alarm clock, then remembered it was Saturday. No school. She was out of bed in an instant. A whole two days that she didn't need to pretend to be like everyone else. She grabbed the bento she'd packed the night before and her backpack, and slipped out into the chilly morning, leaving her snoring parents. She walked toward the woods by the highway, where a familiar narrow track led her through the trees. Little houses, like birdhouses, lined the track. Every once in a while, she caught sight of a statue through the woods. The track ended in a small paved clearing. Chihiro had walked this trail so many times since she'd discovered it, she'd long since stopped wondering why the clearing was here. She loved exploring these woods, and this was her favorite spot. The sun shone through the leaves and a cool breeze blew. She sat with her back leaning against the statue and pulled out her breakfast and library books.

* * *

"Do you have it?"

Haku produced a strand of hair, and handed it over.

"Zeniiba, I'm scared."

Zeniiba looked at him with sympathy as she worked her magic. "I know. You've been protecting her for so long, and it seems all for naught."

"Protecting her like fattening a hog for slaughter."

"Don't be so morbid. That child has some dormant power we haven't seen. And she has friends here on her side – you, me, Kamaji, Lin. Even my sister has a soft spot for her. And your mother will help us. You know you can depend on her."

"Mother is so timid around Father, she'd never go behind his back.

"She would to support her son…"

"She's the only one at home who doesn't look at me like I'm a cripple. Everyone at the palace averts their eyes. Especially Father. I'm not a son to him. I'm just a dummy figurehead," Haku spat. "A dragon with no powers – some prince."

The window opened in the air. Chihiro sat in front of the Spirit World Gate, leaning on the guardian and reading a book. Haku stared. This was unexpected.

"She can't see the gate," Zeniiba reminded him. "She's alone. This is your chance to prove yourself to your father."

"Yeah," Haku grimaced, "but at what cost?" He headed toward the back of the house.

"Haku. I miss having you around. Come back to visit more often, okay?"

He just nodded as he opened the door to his old bedroom. He missed the old witch, too. And as much as this place reminded him of how broken he really was, the palace was ten times worse.

"And bring Chihiro with you."

He opened the double doors to the small spring in the swamp that Zeniiba had bequeathed to him when he first left the bathhouse, and stepped into it. Chihiro was waiting on the other side.

* * *

The dragon swam through a dark, narrow cave. The weight of the water and rock above him was crushing, but it was still water, and it could not hurt him. The water fought him, pulling him backwards by his tail and mane. Still, he made headway and approached a small opening in the tunnel. The current was the strongest here. The dragon waited a moment, shoring up his energy, and then shot forward through the hole into a shining lake, where everything was subtly different. He tasted the faint tang of metal and smoke in the air. The water had slightly too much nitrogen and was cloudy with algae. Chihiro watched as the dragon rose out of the water and turned into


	3. White Dragon

**For those of you looking for the _previous version _of the story, I've copy/pasted it into a Google Doc, so anyone can see it. I've also added a few extra things to reward you for you extra effort. You can find the story at docs DOT google DOT com/document/d/1EP8a8kEzztBa4fT6nJSJmS-iSzTuDAr5ui 0tRg3Ri6s/edit?usp=sharing**

"Haku."

Chihiro opened her eyes to find Kohaku staring at her inquisitively. She flushed, very conscious of the fact that she was not wearing makeup or trendy clothes, and that she was sitting alone in the middle of the woods.

"Sorry." Chihiro said a little sheepishly. "I must've dozed off."

"You were talking in your sleep."

"That's embarrassing…What did I say?"

"You called me Haku. How did you know that my friends call me Haku?"

"I did? Sorry, I didn't know. I don't mean to be rude."

"It's okay. You can call me Haku if you want to."

"What are you doing here?"

"Funny, that's what I was about to ask you. I first heard that story out here – the one I told you."

"Right…about that story. I'm sorry about my reaction to that the other day. But you heard that around here? I've been coming here for years, and I never see anyone out here," Chihiro said, mystified.

"She was one of my old friends. She's not from around here," Haku replied.

"But you said it was a local story."

"It is. It happened around here, actually. What are you doing here?"

Chihiro gestured to her research materials. "It's quiet out here. I like it. And there's never anyone else around."

"Sorry to disturb your peace. I can leave now, if you'd like."

Chihiro looked up at the sun and decided it was about time to go home for lunch. "I should be going, too. Are you just heading back into town?" She gathered her things and the two of them headed down the track.

"When was the last time you were here?"

"Probably about seven years ago. Why do you ask?"

"Because this is such a small town that if I was living here at the time, I'm sure I would've seen you around."

"Do I look familiar?"

Chihiro unconsciously scrunched up her face in concentration, making Haku fight to hide a smile. Lost in thought, Chihiro didn't notice. "Now that I think about it, maybe a little. Your name seems familiar, too. Hmm..."

"I guess that makes it a little less strange that you were calling out my name in your sleep."

Is he teasing me? Chihiro thought. "I was dreaming about you!" Chihiro remembered suddenly. "Sorry, that's kind of creepy. But you were in Mu dream. You were a dragon." She smiled at the lunacy of it.

Haku smiled, too, but could hardly contain his excitement. Could she possibly remember? She hadn't had any contact with magic in at least four years, had she found a way to break the gate's spell?

"Do I look familiar?" Chihiro asked.

"Definitely not when we first met, but you do right now."

"It's the makeup, isn't it?" Chihiro half-grinned. She was bantering now, and enjoying it. "I don't actually look that different from when I was ten. Taller, maybe."

"Definitely the makeup," Haku agreed. "Why do you wear it? You're much prettier without."

Chihiro blushed furiously and looked down at her feet, suddenly shy. This guy, who was every definition of gorgeous, just called her pretty. "It's kind of like a shield. Protection. What people say doesn't hurt because they're not talking about the real me. It makes me feel stronger."

"I see. It's not just your face, is it? It's your clothes and hair, too. You're also much nicer when no one else is around."

Chihiro put a hand to her hair. Maybe it was time to grow it out again. How could he see through her so easily? It's as if he knew her, as well as Risuni did. "What about you?" she said defensively. "Your designer clothes, and your hair?" Then she realized that like herself, he was in worn jeans and a t-shirt. Unlike hers, though, his fit him as if they were just as well tailored as his uniform.

"You're not the only one who needs protection," he replied.

* * *

You're much prettier without. You're much nicer when no one else is around. I hear you like folk tales. You can call me Haku if you want to. My friends call me Haku. Do I look familiar? Where had she seen him before? Had they met? Your hair and clothes are part of your mask, too, right?

Hair. Seven years ago, her hair would've been in a ponytail. It's been short ever since she cut it four years ago. Before that...

Where was that hair tie? She opened a secret compartment in her jewelry box. This hair tie. She had worn this hair tie every day. She had kept it safe and well-hidden and protected it ever since she stopped wearing it. You're not the only one who needs protection. Chihiro had kept the feeling that it was very important, but no longer knew why. Why had she protected this hair tie so carefully? Come to think of it, she couldn't even remember where she'd gotten it. Back when she wore it, she had never needed anything else. Her friends and parents always bought her hair things, but they sat in a small drawer, still in their packaging, untouched. She hadn't thought about this in years. What old things were bubbling up to the surface now?

That night she dreamt that she was in Haku's story. Except she was the girl, and her dragon was the boy in the story, and he was also Haku. And she loved him. But when she woke up, she remembered nothing.

* * *

"Good morning, Kami." As he did every morning, Risuni's grandfather greeted a statue of an old man with a dragon rising up behind him. He was the priest of the village, the keeper of the shrine. A young woman, one of his many granddaughters, came in behind him, sweeping the dust that had accumulated in the night. She wore the miko robe – an indication that she was a young virgin and a servant of the Kami.  
This morning, however, the statue spoke back.

"Good morning, child."

The miko looked startled, but the old man just smiled. This was not the first time that the Kami had spoken with him.

"Kami, you forget years pass faster for us humans. I'm not the child I was when we last met. In fact," he chuckled. "I am quite the old man."

The statue opened its eyes. "Ah, old friend. No matter. You look very well."

"With your blessing, Kami. What brings you here today?"

"We are seeking the human girl Chihiro."

"That can be a pretty common name nowadays."

"She is about Risuni's age, by now." The statue smiled. "Dear child." More seriously, the statue continued. "She came to the Spirit World around seven years ago. We're starting to think that only she can turn the war on its head. You see, while she was here, she captured many hearts, including my own, the lost Prince Kohaku, and that of the witch twins."

"The prince?" the shrine-keeper interrupted. "He's found?"

"Yes. When the Kohaku River was destroyed he was disoriented. He took on a younger shape and found work at Yubaba's bathhouse, where he lost his memories and no one recognized him. Not even myself. When Chihiro fell through the barrier and landed there, she somehow restored his memories and self, making him fall half in love with her in the process. That was seven years ago. He has since returned to the dragon palace. We've sent the prince to the human world, as he knows the girl best.

"Unfortunately, he is aware that if she ever returns, she will be in grave danger. I understand that he is somewhat reluctant. Akuma will no doubt attempt to capture her to keep her out of our hands. I don't think he knows that she is in just as much danger there in the human world. Akuma is gaining power steadily there as well.

"Another problem is the gate. She should have lost all memory of the Spirit World. Zeniiba gave her a charm to protect her memory, but we don't know how much she retains. We need her to regain her memories."

* * *

The next morning, Chihiro took the purple hair tie and tied off small strand of hair on one side of her face and went to Risuni's. It made her look really young, but there was no school today, so she didn't really care. When she got there, Risuni's mom, Suzume Shinkono, was on the phone. That was the first unusual thing. Then, she heard her name.

"In fact, Risuni's best friend here is named Chihiro. She spends a lot of time here, and actually, she just walked in." Suzume waved a greeting. She listened intently to the phone for a moment. "She's exactly Risuni's age." "Really? Kohaku is here?"

At that sentence, Chihiro turned to stare at Mrs. Shinkono and Risuni poked her head out from behind a partition. "Haku?" Chihiro asked as Risuni said "Nigihayami Kohakunushi?" They stared at each other.

Mrs. Shinkono looked at Risuni. "Who's Haku?" she asked.

"He's a new kid at the boys' school," Chihiro said. Suzume looked at her strangely.

"What does he look like?"

"Pale, with long black hair," Risuni said thoughtfully. "Tall…"

"And really, really physically attractive," Chihiro added. "He attracts girls like rotting meat attracts flies."

"That's disgusting," Risuni remarked as Chihiro grinned. She turned to her mother. "What's wrong?"

"Kami is sending _Prince_ Nigihayami Kohakunushi, or Haku, as Chihiro calls him, here. Right now."

"What-"

"Kami will explain to both of you"

"Kami?"

"Both of us-"

"Yes. Go." And Suzume Shinkono shooed them away.

Mrs. Shinkono was agitated. That was the second unusual thing.

* * *

Unusual thing number three came when Risuni lead her into a back room. She had never been there before. It was furnished very sparsely with only tatami mats, a low table, and in the back corner, a shrine. Risuni lit a stick of incense and placed it in front of the figurine in the shrine. She gestured for Chihiro to do the same.

"Chihiro, you know how, in class, we've been talking about the stories about the Spirit World?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, most of those stories are true. The Spirit World is real. I've been there.

"At home, in the country, my grandfather tends the local shrine, and my cousin is the miko, as was my mother before her. I really wanted to do it, but the job is traditionally passed down through the male line, and so…

"Well, my parents moved us out here after my cousin became the miko because they wanted me to get a proper education and so I'd have choices for my future. My cousins and I had a spirit that we played with in the mountains. He was a deer, named Shika. He let us ride him and took us to the Spirit World sometimes." She looked at Chihiro's disbelief helplessly.

"Okay, Risuni…Let's just say that you're not crazy or fooling around with me for a moment. What do I have to do with this? What does Haku have to do with this?"

Prince Kohaku is a spirit. And he has been sent to fetch you.

Chihiro looked around. The voice had spoken inside her head. She looked at Risuni. "Did you hear that?"

"_You _heard that?" Risuni looked over at the figurine on the altar and spoke to it. "She can hear you?"

Chihiro examined the figurine intently. The old man's lips moved and the voice spoke inside her again.

She does not have any spirit blood. It is the charm.

"What charm," Chihiro asked.

The protective charm you wear on your head.

Chihiro's hand went self-consciously to her head, but the only thing she was wearing was a hair tie.

"This?"

"Yes," said a voice behind them. They whirled around, and standing there, was Haku. Chihiro briefly noticed that he was wearing a loose shimmering white shirt and matching white pants.

"Is this all an elaborate prank?" Chihiro said angrily.

"No," Haku said. He seemed angry too. "Tenryu, how can you want to expose her to this?"

Chihiro didn't realize who he was talking to until the voice answered: Tell her the truth and let her make her own decision.

"You know what decision she'll make," he shouted.

"_What_ decision," Chihiro demanded. "And how can he know it when I don't even know it myself?"

"You don't know how blissful ignorance is, Chihiro," Haku said, still staring at the figurine.

"What's wrong with telling her the truth?" Risuni argued. "I don't think she wants anything to do with this, so if you don't want her to be involved, there's no need to worry." Chihiro glanced at her gratefully while Haku glared.

"First my father, then my mother and Zeniiba and Tenryu, and now you?" Haku said to himself. "There's no way Chihiro is going to stay out of this, but she'd also never forgive me."

"Are you talking about me?" Chihiro was bewildered.

"Chihiro. Do you give me permission to tell you the truth?" Haku asked very formally.

"Why ever not? Yes, of course."

"That's a shame, because I was enjoying getting to know you again. The normal way."

"What-" Chihiro was interrupted by Haku grabbing her hand. A jolt a familiarity shot through her as he pulled her out the door. He was strong! She snagged Risuni and pulled her along. Once out of the house, Haku started running. Risuni lived even closer to the woods than she did, and the other side of the street dropped off in a short cliff to trees below. Haku ran faster, his clothes billowing, straight toward the cliff, and off the edge.

She was on the back of a great white dragon. And not just any dragon. Her dragon.


	4. Memories

**I'm totally procrastinating on my homework right now...it's due at 11PM. If not for my homework, you guys wouldn't get this chapter xD **

**So please leave a review :) and Enjoy!**

**Swansae**

Memories flew toward Chihiro like a flock of birds, bombarding her, drowning her. Unknowingly, she screamed as everything went black. Risuni grabbed Chihiro around the waist to keep her from falling. Her legs squeezed the dragon and she shouted at Chihiro in alarm, and when Chihiro didn't respond, at Haku.

Haku felt Chihiro go limp, and knew that the memories were overtaking her. He drifted slowly toward the ground, and landed in the only clearing in the forest: the clearing where the Spirit Gate stood. He let Risuni off first, and together they supported Chihiro and let her down gently.

In the darkness, Chihiro saw one small fleck of gold approach her. She reached out and touched it, and for a moment she saw dark trees from a train platform, and smelled damp, decomposing earth. Her heart pounded with the sound of the train rushing away behind her. And then the scene faded, leaving her only with her pounding heart.

Another fleck of gold threw her into another memory – a memory of fear and cold, and a shining ship appearing out of the darkness. Strange, unsettling, joyful music rolled off the boat in a complete contrast to the shock she felt.

More flecks, more memories. Chihiro saw the memories at first as though she were watching a movie. Images, sounds and smells flew by in no particular order. The memories settled on her skin and then sank deep, deep within. They invaded her mind and each demanded attention. By the time they sorted themselves out, she was ten years old again.

_The old amusement park, Mom said some people believe little spirits live there. The bridge. Haku yelling. "It's almost night! Leave before it gets dark!" Mom and Dad turned into pigs. The shadows are alive, they're everywhere. The river. The boat. Disappearing. Haku holding me, giving me food, taking my hand and running through a storehouse and the pigpens to the bridge, telling me to hold my breath, flying, hiding, telling me how to find Kamaji and get a job. The precipice stairs. Screaming. Fear._

"What did you do to her?"

"I've unlocked her memories of the Spirit World."

"Break the memory barrier of the Spirit Gate? How could you do that without killing her?"

_Kamaji. And feeding the soot balls colorful stars. They have my shoes. Yubaba. And Zeniiba. Lin. Scrubbing the big tub. Sitting on the porch, eating rice balls. Peace. The river god. Kaonashi. The bathhouse. Flying with Haku. Swamp Bottom. The train ride. Boh. Haku flying. Haku hurt. Haku taking me to see my parents. Haku saying that he didn't remember his name but he remembered mine. Haku saying good-bye, that he promised we'd see each other again. Haku letting go of my hand. Haku. Haku. Haku. _

In the space of one breath she lived through a lifetime. Then she lived it again, and again, and again.

"Chihiro's charm caught her memories as she passed through the Gate, and stored them until they could be triggered."

"Where did she get a charm so strong?"

"Zeniiba gave it to her."

"Grandmother Zeniiba?"

After the memories came the dreams. All of the dreams in the past years that the Spirit Gate had banished came rushing back as if she dreamt them all over again. She watched again as the dragon – Haku, she knew it was Haku now – slam into that invisible wall over and over in the darkness. She felt his despair and pain and could only watch helplessly.

Another dream, another scene. Here, Haku, looking much the same as when Chihiro had known him at the bathhouse, waded into the middle of a pool of water and sat cross-legged on the surface, his palms face-down at his sides, just touching the surface. He closed his eyes and reached within himself with his mind, pulling out a thin silver strand. As he gathered it into his hands, liquid light spread from each palm and settled onto the surface of the spring around him like the reflection of a great moon. The light spread like ripples, with Haku at its center. Gradually, the water rose around Haku to surround him with a smooth wall, glistening and crystalline in the moonlight. Then suddenly, the water was heavy and Haku was in pain, and now strained to push the water higher. The surface quivered for a moment, and then wall of water collapsed. Chihiro could taste the frustration. The scene faded.

"Grandmother?"

"Oh, yeah…my family is very distantly related to Zeniiba…"

"Well there's certainly more to you than meets the eye."

Haku was wearing a plain white kimono with teal edges and looked about fifteen years old. He bowed to a bearded man in a golden kimono and a young woman in silver sitting on thrones. The woman ran to Haku and raised him up, and embraced him while the court cheered. Chihiro read their lips. "Our prince is back!" they cried.

Later, Haku and the king were alone. The king was shouting, and Haku stood, staring at his feet and flinching at every sentence the king spat at him. Chihiro heard none of the words, but she had never seen Haku submit like this. At a gesture from the king, a great torrent of water appeared and slammed into Haku. When it settled, Haku stood where he was, sopping wet, and the king was gone.

"We have a long history with the spirits as shrinekeepers and as friends. It feels like I've known you for a very long time. When your river was filled in and you disappeared, Kami told us about the ruckus in the palace," Risuni said.

"Kami?" asked Haku. "Oh, you mean old Tenryu."

* * *

"Memories are alive," Chihiro said deliriously. "They float like pieces of gold leaf and flash like vorpal blades…and they land on your skin like patches of brillig sunlight…"

"What are you blathering about?" Risuni demanded. "Have you turned poet on us?"

Chihiro's vision was still swimming. Slowly, Haku and Risuni's faces came into focus. She was on Risuni's floor with a light blanket over her and both her friends were looking at her.

"Haku…you came here to see me?" she said, still not quite awake.

"Of course," he replied. "I promised, didn't I?"

"But we were so young…and I was so innocent back then…"

"That you were," he agreed.

Risuni made a suggestive face, and Chihiro glared at her. "I was ten!" Risuni grinned at her friend's discomfiture. "Haku, how is everyone at the bathhouse? And Zeniiba? And what do I need to decide?"

"Everyone is fine," Haku said. "But before Tenryu says anything stupid, I'm just going to say that I don't want you in the Spirit World. And Tenryu, keep your mouth shut."

"But-"

"I'll tell you why, Chihiro, don't worry," Haku interrupted. "I'm just putting that out there first. Let me tell the two of you a story. This is a story that you're both pretty familiar with already, but it's important that we all have the details right."

With the three of the seated comfortably on the floor, Haku began.

"In the beginning, after the first six divine generations retreated from the surface of the earth into the high plain of heaven, the seventh divine generation created Kuniumi, the islands of Japan. At that time, the worlds were one, and the humans lived alongside the spirits. Mountains rose and rivers were born. The humans worshiped the wind, the water, the earth as kami, or gods, and were looked upon with favor. These kami were the guardians of the people. The greatest of them was Amaterasu, goddess of the Sun, who gave birth to the Emperors of Japan. This is why Kuniumi has always been called the Land of the Rising Sun. Her children ruled over Japan wisely for many generations, with her blessing. The people prospered. They had enough to set aside for times of famine, and life was long.

"But one day, the people grew discontent. Their wants grew greater than their needs. Desire for riches overcame the love for their homelands, so the people moved away from their beloved kamis, and crowded together in the concrete jungles. As they moved away, they forgot the past. As they traveled through the generations they left the stories behind in the hearts of their ancestors. Humans started laughing at the idea of petitioning the kamis, for the gods couldn't help them get what they wanted. Their desires were no longer to live happily and long, but rather to have more power than others. They left their lands desolate for human presence and the gods forlorn. The gods were the rivers, the mountains, the winds, the rice paddies, and without human love, they had no life, for love and life are one and the same. With inattention, humans banished the spirits. The worlds splintered as a heart separated from its beloved, the spirits on one side, the humans on the other, connected by a few fragments, pathways.

"Humans were still not satisfied with their wealth. They began to hunt and kill the gods in order to take their lands for themselves, forgetting that once the gods let humans live on their lands with their blessings. The worlds mourned as they were sundered further and further. The hunted gods fled to the spirit world. Some died from the shock of betrayal from their beloved people and the loss of their self.

"The gods looked upon human greed and destruction with sadness, and decided to quarantine the damage. Seven gates were built on the greatest of these fragments, where humans still wished to come and go - gates designed to keep the humans out and the spirits in. Many other smaller fragments were so, a human slips through the cracks every once in a while, and so the contact is maintained. Still, the destruction continues. Spirits that once loved and nurtured humans kill them on sight. The gods' council is convinced that the destruction is unstoppable, and so to protect themselves still further, they planned to close the gates and cut off all contact with humans. The Spirit World and the human world will exist in parallel, side-by-side, but never touching.

"But gods have longer memories than humans. Almost all memory of the gods have died throughout these nine generations, but some spirits still remember humans, and the life human love brings. These spirits know that the Spirit World cannot exist without humans, and so they have waged a war since the creation of the Gates to reconnect the worlds. But this rebel group is very small, and most spirits rightly hate the destruction we wreak.

"Seven years ago, a small human girl appeared in the Spirit World. You, Chihiro," Haku said. "You captured the hearts of many spirits and your purity and innocence earned their trust. You name has spread far and wide since you were lost in the Spirit World. You found many friends within the rebellion, including Zeniiba, Yubaba, Kamaji, and Tenryu. You gave them a lot of leverage in convincing spirits that humans aren't all evil. Unfortunately, you also caught the attention of Akuma, who currently leads the sport of human-hunting. Many of the council members are also his puppets.

"Then, just last year, the humans killed Kawauso, the otter spirit. He had left the human world 30 years ago, when the humans had chased him out with their guns and ingratitude. He had been willing enough to keep the humans warm with his furs, for he had loved the humans; it was the ingratitude that drove him away – taking without giving, without love and attention and care. But he still loved them, and so while he had made his home in the Spirit World, he had sneaked off to check in on his favorite humans every once in a while. He had been the last of his kind, and much loved among the spirits. Most of the credibility that the rebel group had built up has been erased, and most spirits are back to believing that humans are evil, greedy, pigs."

"My father is convinced," Haku finished with a dark look, "that the only one who can change their minds is you."


End file.
